Ore-stream conveyer



11, "1920 2 Asheets-sheet 1 A TTORNE Y BY @www F. M. MARTI N' ORE STREAM CONVEYER 'Original Filed Sept Mar. 2o, 1923.

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ATTORNEY lll Patented lidar.. 20, 1923.,

narran stares re'renr orties.

FRED MASON MARTIN, OF NEW YORK, Y., ASSIGNOR TO AMERICN SMELTING AND REFINING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

can-STREAM ooNvEYER.

Original application led September 11, 1920, Serial No. 409,587. Divided and this application filed April y28, 1922. Serial No. 557,106.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, FRED MASON MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of New York city, in the county of'Kings and State yof: New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements inOre- Stream Conveyers, of which the following is a specification.

rlhis invention relates to ore stream conjfeyers for use in handling ores and the ike. i

The invention has particular reference to conveying means o13 the belt type, suitable for handling sticky, slimy material of relatively great weight, in large quantities to expedite the work. It is especially well adapted for use in connection with ore handling machinery and ore sampling apparatus of the type shown in my copending application, Serial No. 287,137 filed April 3, 1919, and the divisional applications, Serial Nos. 333,892 tiled October 28, 1919, and 109,587 iiled September 11, 1920, of which latter application this is a division.

An object of the invention is to efiectually prevent side creep of the belt, and minimize tension ot the material of which the belt is formed, thus lengthening the useful life of the belt.

Another obj ect of the invention herein disclosed is to provide a stream forming device of rugged construction to withstand thel hard working conditions to which heavy ore handling machines are usually subjected and at the same time to providev a `machine which can be operated economically and independently of the character 'of material handled.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious from an inspection of the accompanying drawings and in part will be more fully set` forth n the following particular description ot' one form ot mechanism embodying my invention, and the invention also consists in certain new `and no velieatures of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

ln the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is an enlarged view of the material receiving hopper element ot' a machine constituting a preferred embodiment of my complete invention and with parts of the hopper ybroken away to show internal construction;

Figure 2 is an enlarged view in right end elevation of the device shown in Figure 1 and with parts broken away; l j

Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the driving mechanism of Figure 1; and

Figure 4- isa vertical sectional view taken on the line 4--4 of Figure 1.

In the drawings there is shown a suitable i supporting framework upon which is mounted a fixed open-top hopper `16 adapted to receive the material to be treated. The material in the hopper is moved by a belt conveyer 17 defining the bottom of the hopper across the hopper thereof, is discharged therefrom and is permitted to fall freely into-engagement with a disintegrating device 18 which acts on the material to break up the stream discharged from the hopper. rllhe broken-up stream is then permitted to through the hopper. Each of the detlectorsis pivotally connected to the adjacent 'side of the hopper at its upper edge. The deflectors are each held in adjusted swinging positionby means of a lifting rod 24; which fall onto a sampler or other treating depasses through the adjacent side and is held in set position by nuts 25 as shown in Figure 2. The hopper is provided at its discharge end with an opening 26 having a widthequal to `that of the hopper but relativelysmall in its vertical dimension as.

shown in` Figure 2. A plow 27 is mounted inthe opening` 26. A pair of transverse `bars 28 constitute internal braces for the hopper and add strength and rigidity to the structure. y rods 29 connect the bars `28 with the advance edge and with opposite sides ofthe Vertically adjustable hanging` plow. By this construction the bottom edge of the plow may be set at a desired distance above the conveyer 17 and thus a stream of material Ot' predetermined cross section may be delivered through the opening 2G to the disintegrator 18. v

The belt conveyer 17 includes an endless ina-te-i'ialaeceiving belt 30, the upper run of which fits relatively close to the open bottom oi the hopper as shown in Figure 4 Yand lconstitutes a movable bottom for .Said

hopper. This belt is relatively wide andern tends beyond the lateral sides of the hopper so as to minimize any tendency ot' leakage between the hopper and the conveyer. The belt encircles an endless driving trame 31, and has its upper Vrun resting on the trame and held thereto 'frictionally but is otherwise unsecured to the trame. A plurality ot longitudinally, extending tracks, in VFigure et shown to be four in number, extendfpar- ,allel to fthe length of the hopper with the two inside tracks .82 'positioned ,below the hopper and the two youtside tracks 33 odset laterally tothe outside `of the hopper. The :trame includes a series ot' transversely disposed bars 34 connected at their outer ends by roller :chains The frame is designed tofengage and slide `on` the tracks through roller casters 36. The chains ot' the iframe are passed about end sprocket wheels, one set of which, 37, at the discharging end of the conveyer constitutes driving sprockets Iand is mounted upon and driven from a :power shaft 38. The other set of sprockets 39 is carried by a shaft 40 4mounted in takelup bearings 41 by means lof which the tension on the conveyer :frame is adjusted. The loads which are discharged on tothe belt adjacent the lcenter thereof tend to depress the lcentral medial line ot the belt .and thus acts to center the beltoon the trame. In this way sthe belt is held with its opposite edges adj acen-t the open bottom fot' the hopper and in spaced relation to the end sprockets Iengagingthe roller chains 35. In this wary when `the frame is carried from its horizontal path `into -its path around the sprocket wheels, the belt 30 is moved vclear Voli' 'the .sprocket wheels thus permitting the vuse elf 'a belt of unusual width.

'provided `with such rollers correspondi-nw in number to the number of tracks provided. The tracks may extend only in position to be engaged 'by `:such rollers as are in the up per horizontal plane of movement :of lthe belt, and their ends may be yrounded off as clearly v.shim/.n Figure 1 to minimize vibration. VThus the rollers ride freely while in the lower part of the orbit of movement, and are lin position to engage the tracks again when brought into contact with the incoming end thereof.

1n operation and assuming` that the several movable elements oi the device are operatively connected to the power system so as to cause them to operate at the desired relative speed and assuming that load after load of the material is dumped into the hopper, the device can be left by itself and will operate automatically.

The detlectors on opposite sides vof the hopper tend to distribute the incoming loads of material on opposite sides et the medial line through the nose ot the plow and as the material is carried by the belt conveyer into engagement with the plow it will be caused to spread out in a layerof uniform thickness and the conveyer will discharge the same uniformly through the outlet opening 26. As the'layer oi material is ted to the disintegrator, it is cut into longitudinal strips by means ot' the cutting disks, and the disintegrating wires moving upwardly through lthe mass, usually at relatively high speed, will tend to break up the strips be- .sample of the material, even though this material be ot' a plastic nature andv otherwise difficult to handle. Using a relatively .large belt on the conveyer gives the feeder a large capacity at slow speed. Further7 with the particular type of conveyer disclosed lateral Vor side creep o-t` the belt is minimized and belt tension is eliminated as the driving or carrying effect is proportioned to the weight of the load only7 and relative move ment between the belt and its carrying trame .is minimized so as to eliminate wear on the underside of the belt.

llVhile I have shown and described 'and have pointed out Iin the annexed claims certain novel features ot my invention, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the forni and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those `skilled in the art without .departing from the spirit of my invention. Y

leaving 'thus described Claim:

1r. In a device ol the class described, the combination ot an open bottom hopper. a plurali-ty of parallel .stationary tracks positioned below said hopper, a conveyer including a continuous belt `encircling said tracks lengthwise thereof, extending transversely across the tracks and constituting 'the `bottom-rotthe hopper, a beltsupportingA endless frameencircled by the belt, said trame provided with Wheels adapted to move my invention. l

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on said tracks to support the upper run of the belt and means for driving said endless i frame.

2. In a device of' the class described, the combination of an open bottom hopper, a stationary track positioned below said hopper, a conveyer including a continuous belt encircling said track and constituting the bottom of the hopper, a belt-supporting endless frame encircled by the belt and adapted to hold the belt in position substantially to close the bottom of the hopper, said frame including a plurality oi' transversely extending slats providing rigidity to the frame transversely oil its direction of travel while permitting a flexibility longitudinally oi the direction of travel.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of an open bottom hopper, a plurality of stationary tracks positioned be low said hopper, a conveyer including an endless belt with its upper run constituting the bottom of said hopper and having a width greater than the width of said open bottom, an endless belt supporting frame encircled by said belt and supporting the upper run of the same, a sprocket wheel for driving said frame and spacing means carried by the iframe and engaging the tracks for maintaining the Wide belt adjacent the hopper.

e. In a device of the class described, the combination of an open bottom hopper, an endless belt constituting a moving bottom for the hopper and an endless `frame operatively connected to the bottom for moving the bottom and holding the same in a fixed plane close to the open bottom of the hopper.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of an open bottom hopper, a. plurality of parallel tracks positioned below the hopper, the two outside tracks being offset laterally to the outside of the hopper, a flexible endless frame including trans verse strengthening members supported by said tracks, means for moving the 'trame with its upper reach supported from the tracks and an endless belt having a width sufficient to extend across the open bottom ol the hopper, positioned on the upper reach of the frame and moved thereby across the open bottom of the hopper.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a track having down-turned ends, a frame encircling the track lengthwise thereof, said frame provided on its inner side with rollers for engaging the track as the frame moves along thev track, means for driving the frame and an endless belt eni circling the frame and moved thereby.

7. In a conveyer, the combination of a track, an endless frame encircling the track lengthwise and including a plurality of inwardly extending brackets, rollers carried by the brackets for engaging the track as the upper reach of the frame moves along the track and an endless belt resting on the frame and moved by its frictional engage ment therewith.

8. In a device oi the class described, the combination of a pair of sprockets, a pair oi' parallel chains engaging said sprockets, longitudinally spaced apart slats extending transversely of the chains and connecting the same, an endless belt loose on said slats and moved thereby and means for driving one of the sprockets thereby to cause the belt to move.

Signed at Hollywood, in the county of Los Angeles, and State of California., this 21st day of April, A. D. 1922.

FRED MASON MARTIN. 

